Attachment orientations and loss adjustment among bereaved spouses

Abstract

Stressful life events such as losing a spouse can enhance inflammation. Responses to loss may depend, in part, on individual differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance. An individual's attachment orientation (i.e., an individual's levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance) reflects how an individual relates to others-specifically, whether they feel their trusted others will reliably be there for them, and whether they feel comfortable opening up to and depending on their relationship partners. This study investigated the association between attachment orientations and poor loss adjustment in recently bereaved individuals (N = 100). Poor loss adjustment was operationalized as greater levels of inflammation and grief symptoms, as well as poorer selfreported mental and physical health. Attachment anxiety was associated with increased stimulated monocyte IL-6 and CCL4 production, but not TNFα. Likewise, attachment anxiety was associated with greater grief symptoms as well as poorer mental and physical health. In contrast, attachment avoidance was not associated with inflammation; it was, however, associated with less grief symptoms as well as better self-reported mental and physical health. Our findings provide evidence that attachment orientations may be associated with loss adjustment and adverse health outcomes following the recent loss of a spouse.

We’re Not That Choosy: Emerging Evidence of a Progression Bias in Romantic Relationships

“…In one longitudinal study ( N = 90), individuals with higher attachment avoidance were less likely to enter a committed romantic relationship over a span of 8 months ( Schindler et al, 2010 ). Furthermore, more avoidantly attached individuals in relationships expect relationship loss to hurt less ( Spielmann, Maxwell, et al, 2013 ) and report fewer grief symptoms in response to the death of a spouse ( LeRoy et al, 2020 ). Overall, there is considerable evidence that romantic relationships do not hold the same draw for individuals with higher attachment avoidance relative to those lower in avoidance, nor the same costs to exiting relationships, such that the progression bias should be attenuated for them.…”

Matters of the Heart: Grief, Morbidity, and Mortality

“…People with high attachment avoidance are uncomfortable depending on others and use deactivating coping strategies in an attempt to inhibit stress. In the adult attachment literature, people who are low on both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are considered securely attached (LeRoy et al, 2020). We cross-sectionally assessed widows and widowers within approximately 3 months after the death of their spouse to determine whether individual differences in attachment patterns predicted self-reported health and inflammation (as evaluated by ex vivo cytokine production).…”

“…Likewise, attachment anxiety was associated with poorer self-reported mental and physical health. Bereaved spouses (death of spouse within approximately 3 months) who had higher levels of attachment anxiety reported poorer mental and physical health (i.e., less energy, poorer emotional functioning, poorer social functioning, and poorer self-rated health; LeRoy et al, 2020). Attachment anxiety was also associated with greater ex vivo cytokine production.…”

“…Attachment anxiety was also associated with greater ex vivo cytokine production. In contrast, attachment avoidance was not associated with inflammation; however, compared with individuals low on attachment avoidance, those high on attachment avoidance reported better self-reported mental and physical health (LeRoy et al, 2020). Importantly, these data were cross-sectional; it will be important for future work to determine whether these individual differences predict trajectories in grief, self-reported health, and biomarkers of physical-health risk over 1 to 2 years after the loss.…”

“…LeRoy, A. S., Gabert, T., Garcini, L., Murdock, K. W., Heijnen, C. J., & Fagundes, C. P. (2020). (See References).…”